


all our times have come

by blastellanos



Category: Baseball RPF
Genre: M/M, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2019-02-17 08:14:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13072815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blastellanos/pseuds/blastellanos
Summary: “I care about you…” James says, saying it incredulously. Like he can’t believe that José would even ask.





	all our times have come

James comes in on José in the bathroom and he’s sitting in the corner with his knees tucked up to his chest and his chin on his knees. His phone is several feet in front of him, darkened, a crack down the screen. James frowns a little and picks his way across the tile before sliding down the wall next to José. Their shoulders touch and James laces his fingers together, and he settles them on his thighs, stretching his legs out. 

“Don’t cry,” James says, settling his hand on José’s thigh. José doesn’t look at him and James is afraid of what’s going to happen. He can see the unshed tears glittering along his lashes. He wishes he knew what was going on– what was happening with José to make him look like this. 

“Not crying,” José mumbles back, his voice sounding like he might start crying at any moment. José reaches up and scrubs the sleeve of his shirt against his eyes. James doesn’t look at him. 

“I can tell you’re lying.” 

They sit in silence after that, with José making little sniffling noises, and trying not to cry about whatever is bothering him. James’s gaze is on the cracked phone which wasn’t cracked when José had disappeared into the bathroom. 

James wants to ask, wants to say something. Wants to say anything. He feels some odd clench in his chest, around his heart, and he wishes it would lessen. He glances sideways at José again and frowns. His lashes flutter against his cheeks, and he’s sure there’s wetness there now. 

James puts a hand on top of José’s which is settled on the floor between them. 

“What you doing here?” José asks, and his brows knit together and he glances quickly at James and then back away. James frowns a little. 

“I care about you…” James says, saying it incredulously. Like he can’t believe that José would even ask. The silence stretches on again and he wants– he wishes that he could tell him that he can tell him anything. That James would be there for him. 

No matter what it is. No matter what, James is going to be there and be supportive. He wants to be. He wants to be that person. He squeezes José’s hand warmly and looks at him again. 

José is sitting with his eyes faced forward, but he eventually turns his hand palm-up, and laces his fingers with James’s. 

They sit there in silence, just like that and James breathes in and leans a little more on José’s shoulder. 

“You wanna talk about what’s wrong?” James asks. José shakes his head a little. James nods and squeezes his hand. He listens to José breathe and it’s the only thing that he can hear. 

José looks at their hands, laced together on the tile. 

“Arlene is leaving,” He says after some time. “That not so bad. That I think– okay, she done being a player’s wife. I understand is tough.” José puts his forehead down on his knees. 

“But– but she get the kids to. And I– I don’t want them gone. But I can’t do much ‘cuz she right to take them. Give them support and not me gone all the time but I– it hurts.” 

“Can she do that?” James asks and José frowns, then nods. 

“I– yeah I say she can. You know for the kids. I come visit but. Going home, seeing them, that’s the best part.” He gives James a wan smile. James can’t rely, so he tries a reassuring one and squeezes his hand again. 

They sit in silence again until James stands up and helps José up. He pulls him into a hug, wrapping his arms around José’s shoulders and pressing him close for a moment. 

“It’s gonna be alright,” James says. He pounds the center of José’s back with his fist. James steps back and smiles crookedly at José. José is looking up at him, looking a tiny bit puzzled. 

“You think?” José asks and James nods. 

“Of course.” 

James takes José to the door. 

“Kiss me,” José says and James pauses with his hand on the door. 

“What?” He asks. He looks back at me. 

“I want to kiss you.” 

James frowns. 

“Why?” 

José rolls his eyes and grabs the front of James’s shirt and leans in to press a kiss to James’s cheek. 

“Thank you,” He says. James feels his cheeks flush. 

“Uh, don’t mention it.” 

He opens the door again and José grabs his broken phone, and follows him out. James doesn’t see José again for the rest of the night, he’s swept up by Verlander and someone else. 

But he gets a text later that night that’s from him, just a smiley face, and he thinks about it for the rest of the night.


End file.
